Thursday, June 22, 2017

Bastard Jones is a Great Ride

I’ll
be honest, I had pretty low expectations going into The Bastard Jones. The Cell
theater is not impressive; it is small with limited facilities. The lead, Evan
Ruggiero, seemed stunt casting of an Ellen DeGeneres alumni. And, if the idea
of a musical Tom Jones was so great, why hadn’t it been done before, the play
is more than 360 years old!

Instead,
I was blown away by an amazing cast, witty script and songs and one of the most
purely fun evenings I have had in the theater in a long time. It is the story
of Tom Jones – a bastard raised in the home of a country squire. Written as a
response to the hypocritical puritans of King George the III’s time, it can be
considered quite bawdy or extremely raunchy, depending on your puritanical
moral compass.

Tom Jones is blessed with a charming personality, a magnetic
sexuality and endowed with a generous stamina. Being a bastard, he is not
limited by societal norms in his ability to share his unique gift. Which is to
say, the show doesn’t shy away from sex, silly sexual innuendos and dumb jokes,
although there is almost nothing that is coercive (towards women at least) in the show.

Cast of The Bastard Jones photo: Carol Rosegg

Evan
Ruggiero, far from being stunt casting, is fantastic as young Tom. He is young
charming and happy; blessed with a great voice and a sly smile which make him
perfect for the role. Elena Wang is Sophia, the beautiful Preacher’s daughter
for which young Tom pines. She is a great actress with beautiful voice. Rene
Ruiz is the narrator and master of ceremonies, before joining into the show,
and he plays the audience like a virtuoso.

The
entire cast is excellent, both funny and well voiced. However, a particular
call out has to go to Crystal Lucas-Perry who can sing, saunter and connive
with the best of them.

My
biggest problem with the show was the length, at 2 ½ hours it is a long
evening. And some of the songs were less than memorable, while others were
wonderful. So, don’t go expecting a finely tuned and polished show. The props
and set are improvised, the venue is small and gives off a “let’s put on a
show” vibe.

What The Bastard Jones has is an energy that is wild, an extremely clever book,
lyrics and music and the feeling that you are witnessing the start of something
unique. Marc Acito has done a great job directing this cast and bringing the
story to life.